Sec. 142. Workforce innovation and replication grants
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There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018. From funds described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall award workforce innovation and replication grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities. The grants awarded under this subsection shall be used to support innovative new strategies and activities, which may include strategies and activities with proven effectiveness in 2 or more noncontiguous areas, or the replication and expansion of effective evidence-based strategies and activities, such as on-the-job training, that are designed to align programs and strengthen the workforce development system in a State or region, consistent with the workforce development plans under this Act for such State or region, in order to substantially improve the education and employment outcomes for adults and youth served by such system and the services provided to employers under such system.
To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, a State partnership or regional entity shall meet the requirements of this paragraph and submit an application in accordance with paragraph (4). For a State partnership to be eligible for funding under this subsection, a Governor of a State shall— submit the application in partnership with the State board and with 1 or more regional entities in the State described in subparagraph (C); and demonstrate that the State has— aligned the core programs; made significant progress towards aligning the core programs with other workforce development programs; and achieved the alignments described in subclauses
(I)and
(II)consistent with the State plan. To be identified as a regional entity and to be eligible for funding under this subsection, a local board for a local area that is aligned with a region, or all of the local boards for local areas that comprise a planning region under section 116(c), shall demonstrate that— the application has been developed in consultation with the State and is not duplicative of other applications under this subsection submitted by a State partnership; and the local board, or all of the local boards for the planning region, has— worked with the core programs to achieve alignment of such programs in the region; made significant progress towards aligning the core programs with other workforce development programs in the region; and achieved the alignments described in subclauses
(I)and
(II)consistent with the State plan. An eligible entity seeking to receive a grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information, consistent with this paragraph, as the Secretaries may require. Each such application shall describe the innovation and replication strategies and activities, and any waivers, in accordance with appropriate authorizing statutes, necessary to implement such strategies and activities, that the eligible entity will carry out to strengthen the workforce development system in the State or region in order to substantially improve the education and employment outcomes for individuals served by such system and the services provided to employers under such system, including— a description of the region in the State or the State, as appropriate, that will be the focus of grant activities, including analyses of economic conditions, skill needs, the workforce, and the workforce development services (including the strengths and weaknesses of such services and the capacity to provide such services) that are relevant to the proposed strategies and activities that would be carried out under the grant; a description of the populations to be served, including individuals with barriers to employment, and the skill needs of those populations; a description of the promising strategies and activities the eligible entity is proposing to demonstrate, or the evidence-based strategies and activities that the eligible entity is proposing to expand or replicate; a description of how, in carrying out such strategies and activities, the entity will— collaborate to leverage resources among strategic partners to achieve the purposes of the grant, and to provide the matching share described in paragraph (5)(B); and ensure the sustainability of the programs and activities supported by the grant after grant funds are no longer available; a description of how the strategies and activities will be aligned with the State plan and the local plans in the region of the State that will be the focus of grant activities; a description of the outcomes, including outcomes for the performance accountability measures based on indicators described in section 131(b)(2)(A)(i), to be achieved by the proposed strategies and activities; and a description of how the eligible entity will— use technology; collect data; make data publicly available; and use technology and data to improve program delivery, activities, and administration. The amount of the share of the funds provided under paragraph
(1)shall be not greater than 50 percent of the cost of the programs and activities that are carried out under the grant. The amount of the matching share under this subsection for a program year may not be less than 50 percent of the costs of the programs and activities that are carried out under the grant. The matching share may be in cash or in kind (fairly evaluated). Not more than 50 percent of the matching share required under this subsection may be provided from Federal resources, of which not less than 50 percent shall be provided from Federal resources from the partner programs identified in the application other than resources provided under the core programs. Non-Federal sources for the matching share may include State resources, local resources, contributions from private organizations, or a combination of such resources and contributions. The Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education may waive or reduce the matching share of an eligible entity that has submitted an application under this subsection if such entity demonstrates a need for such waiver or reduction due to extreme financial hardship as jointly defined by the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education. The Federal and matching share required by this subsection shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal and State funds used to carry out activities described in this subsection. Grants awarded under this subsection shall be awarded for periods of not more than 3 years in duration and may not be renewed. In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall take into consideration the geographic diversity, and diversity with respect to population density, of the areas in which projects will be carried out under this section. The Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education are authorized to establish appropriate reporting requirements for grantees under this subsection. For each program year for which funds are available to carry out this section, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education may reserve not more than 5 percent of the amount available to carry out this subsection to provide technical assistance to applicants and grantees under this subsection, and to evaluate projects carried out under this subsection. The Secretaries shall ensure that the results of the evaluations are publicly available (including by electronic means).